Introduction
This chapter explores first-time customers' expectations of service prior to their contact with their local offices, Benefit Directorates and Remote Processing
Centres.
When first-time customers contact the Benefits Agency by letter, telephone or in person for advice about how to claim a benefit, for a claim form, or for further information, they have certain expectations of what the service will be like in reality and what the service should be like in theory. Research in other fields suggests that levels of satisfaction with services provided are highly influenced by these customer expectations (Linder-Pelz, 1982). Nevertheless, the relationship between customer expectations and consumer satisfaction is complex, problematic and tentative. Distinctions are often made in the literature betwe:n a preferred, ideal service on one level and other, often lower, expectations of what might reasonably be expected in reality (Locker and Dunt, 1978). However, these distinctions may not exist at all, or may well be blurred or overlap, in the minds of those customers who have either never encountered the benefits system previously or who have only experienced certain aspects of it.
Customers' expectations and opinions of the service they will or should receive are formed from many different sources and each may influence, counterbalance or negate the others, either wholly or in part. Friends, relations or neighbours may have had dealings with the Benefits Agency or the DSS more widely and might have influenced a customer's thoughts about the claim process, the offices or the staff. A customer's previous business with other government agencies and departments, or with other large companies and organisations, may have helped to create positive or negative images of the Benefits Agency itself. Alternatively, newspaper reports or radio and television programmes could have formed or could reinforce customers' impressions of a good, bad or indifferent service to be expected from the Benefits Agency. Equally, the Citizen's Charter and the subsequent proliferation of public and private organisations' customer charters, customer-care departments and customer services personnel may have constructed benchmarks of real or ideal service expectation in customers' minds.
Customers' perspectives on the sort of service they expected from the Benefits Agency were sought in the two postal surveys, in the face-to-face survey and in the qualitative interviews. Benefit Directorate, local office and Remote Processing Centre personnel were also asked, in the group discussions and in the individual in- depth interviews, about their impressions of first-time customers' expectations of service.
Expectations of the Benefits Agency's service in general and its various and particular aspects were obtained through a number of channels. Although previous research has highlighted the problems and pitfalls involved in asking respondents to appraise retrospectively their expectations of service (Huxley and Mohamad, 1991) the findings reported here should be treated with some caution. All customers were asked about what they thought their experiences of claiming a benefit for the first time would be like in reality, and to indicate which aspects of the service they had received were of greater or lesser importance in the light of their experiences of claiming. The Child Benefit and the Retirement Pension
respondents were also requested to rank in order of importance certain specific parts of the Benefits Agency's postal and telephone business, its offices, facilities and staff-customer relations. By treating the scores for each aspect as values and by comparing the mean values, it was possible to gain an understanding of the most and least important aspects of the service to the first-time customer. Graphs and dendograms were then used to analyse further the Retirement Pension and Child Benefit customer responses and to tease out those aspects which were most closely associated in the respondents' minds with a good service. Income Support and One Parent Benefit customers were asked to indicate whether: before they first claimed they expected the Benefits Agency to be committed in various ways to its clients; they thought the BA would have its own Customer Charter; and which other large organisations, companies or businesses they anticipated that the Agency would be most like. Through these latter channels it was possible to discern the distribution and content of the component parts of the respondents' ideal or preferred service; the theoretical benchmarks of quality and service.
This chapter begins by examining first-time customers' responses to questions about their expectations of the overall service. Details follow of their expectations of each particular aspect of claiming. A `benefit by benefit' approach is taken in this chapter.
The process of claiming Child Benefit
When asked what sort of service they thought the Benefits Agency would provide overall, some said that they expected a good service generally, others expected a poor or indifferent service and some simply did not know what to expect (see Table 3.1). Customers often qualified their general expectations about the likelihood of a good, bad or indifferent service overall with more detailed comments about specific aspects. For example, in the qualitative interviews, customers who thought that the process of claiming would be generally easy and who commented favourably on how they thought Benefits Agency staff would treat them, said that they expected the application form to be tricky with lots of inapplicable and confusing questions which would `need a degree to answer'. Nevertheless, in the postal survey, some 27% of the 737 customers commenting on their expectations of what their claim for Child Benefit would be like in reality, thought that the process would be quick, prompt, well-organised and straightforward. For example, one respondent wrote
`I
expected things to run fairly smoothly, I didn't expect my claim to take long'.Child Benefit customers over the age of 25 years were more likely to think that claiming would be simple and uncomplicated when compared to those younger respondents aged between 15 and 24 years.
Table 3.1 What Child Benefit customers thought dealings with the BA would be like Straightforward 197 27 Bureaucratic 334 45 Helpful staff 30 4 Unhelpful staff 12 2 Unpleasant surroundings 13
Expected automatic payment 8 1
No idea 139 19
Other 4
Base 737 100
Many customers, of all ages, however, felt that the whole, rather than just certain parts, of their business with the Benefits Agency would prove to be difficult. Some 45% of the Child Benefit respondents said that they had anticipated a `bureaucratic', `complicated', `confusing', `long', `slow' or `difficult' relationship with the Department of Social Security. For example, one wrote that she had not been optimistic about the whole process because, `expectations of service from the DSS
are so low' amongst the population generally. Another said that she `expected them
to take for ever to sort it all out', and a third thought that the service would be
`dreadful', that it would involve her in doing `lots of phoning round and chasing up'
and that it would be a `hassle' to get her Child Benefit claim sorted out successfully.
Other respondents were not at all sure about the Benefits Agency's services, standards and staff, and some 19% of Child Benefit customers who commented on their expectations reported that they had no preconceived ideas at all about the process of claiming. For example, in the postal survey, one new parent said that she `didn't know what to expect; being my first time claiming you don't know what to expect'.
When asked to detail their expectations of what the Benefits Agency's overall service should be like, regardless of whether they thought that it would or did live up to these criteria, Child Benefit customers reported that they would like an efficient and private service that provided them with clear, coherent and authoritative information and advice about the process of claiming and receiving Social Security benefits.
Particular aspects of claiming Expectations of staff: Customers were asked in the qualitative research interviews
about their expectations of Benefits Agency staff in general; how they thought they would be treated by them, what information and advice they would provide and how helpful, polite and knowledgeable they would be. With the exception of one respondent in the provincial town who thought that the counter staff would be very much like those who worked in a bank or building society and that, thus, they would be very helpful, friendly and efficient, most of those interviewed in the qualitative research thought very differently indeed. For example, one respondent from a village near the provincial town said that she expected the staff to be `snotty
and efficient; like any big organisation, bank or catalogue company'. Another
thought that the staff would be desperate to get rid of her if she called into the office and believed that she would be left feeling as if no-one was dealing with her problem and that no-one would care about her and her baby. She added that she had thought that claiming Child Benefit would, perhaps, be ` more trouble than it's worth' and, hence, nearly did not bother to apply. Another respondent believed that staff would think that Child Benefit was a `trivial' benefit and would, as a result of this, treat her with little respect.
In the postal survey, however, few customers who responded to the open-ended invitations to comment on their expectations of the service, prior to claiming, mentioned how they thought Benefits Agency staff would treat them; most were concerned only with the process of claiming. The questionnaire asked customers to rank in order of importance various aspects of the service provided by staff and,
thus, reveal the standards of inter-personal service that they required of the Benefits Agency. Most of those who responded said that they thought that having helpful and knowledgeable staff who could spend time with them, answer their questions and sort out their problems was more important than having polite or friendly staff behind the counters or in the interview booths.
Table 3.2 Child Benefit customers' expectations of BA staff
Rank Knowledge Helpfulness Staff time Politeness Friendliness
% % % % 1 53 22 10 14 4 2 24 38 21 10 6 3 9 24 34 22 9 4 7 12 20 35 25 5 7 4 15 19 56 Base 710 713 711 711 709
Table 3.2 shows the percentages and relative orders of merit of various aspects of the service recorded by first-time customers of Child Benefit. Fifty-three per cent ranked staff knowledge as the most important aspect of staff-customer relations. The next most important aspect was the helpfulness of BA staff towards the first- time customers. Only 22% ranked this aspect as most important but 38% ranked this as the second most important aspect. The least important aspect was staff friendliness; 56% ranked this last.
Conditions at the office
In the qualitative interviews carried out in the small provincial town, all of the respondents anticipated poor conditions and poor service at their local Benefits Agency office. Most thought that they would find long queues, a tense and depressing atmosphere, unpleasant surroundings with little privacy and possible violence from other customers; security screens, they thought, would further isolate and alienate the customers and help to protect the staff from any trouble that might break out. One respondent, for example, expected her local district office to
be `a horrible, horrible place' which no one, except the `down-and-outs, the drunks
and the drug-addicts' would like to go to.
The postal survey asked Child Benefit customers about their expectations of benchmark standards of quality and service to be achieved and maintained at their local office. Respondents said that they would like not to have to wait too long to be seen, that they would prefer to discuss their business with the Benefits Agency in private and that they wanted to be able to comprehend clearly any advice and information that the clerks gave to them. These three aspects of the local office service to the customer were ranked as far more important than the cleanliness or tidiness or atmosphere within the rooms in which respondents had to wait to be seen or interviewed (see Table 3.3).
Table 3.3 Child Benefit customers' expectations of conditions of the local office
Rank Understanding
what is said
Waiting time Privacy Cleanliness
% 51 30 16 5 28 34 33 4 3 16 30 36 18 4 5 6 15 73 Base 603 604 599 601
Writing to the Benefits Agency
Only one respondent in the qualitative research interviews (who thought that she would `
wait forever for a reply') and no postal survey customers expressed their thoughts about what would happen if they were to write to the Benefits Agency.
Customers contacted through the postal survey were slightly more forthcoming about the standards of service that they expected from staff. Sixty-eight per cent of the respondents maintained that if they were to write to either the local office or the Benefit Directorate at Washington, they would prefer an understandable rather than a swift or speedy reply from staff.
Telephoning the Benefits Agency
Postal survey customers who ranked in order of their importance certain aspects of the business conducted with the Benefits Agency by telephone thought that the ease with which they could find someone to deal with their enquiry was of equal importance to the ease with which they could understand the staff's replies to their questions. Respondents placed far less stress on the length of time they had to spend getting through to the switchboard and the length of time they waited to speak to someone who could help them (see Table 3.4).
Table 3.4 Child Benefit customers' expectations of telephoning the BA
Rank Finding right
person
Understanding
what is said
Waiting to speak Ease of getting through 1 30 37 24 10 2 40 27 23 9 3 20 19 42 19 4 10 17 11 62 Base 639 641 636 634
Only one respondent in the postal survey and one respondent in the qualitative interviews commented on the service they expected to receive by telephone before they claimed Child Benefit. One woman in the qualitative interviews in the provincial town thought that she would be passed from `pillar to post' if she telephoned the Benefits Agency; another respondent in the postal survey thought that he would be kept waiting for a long time, that staff would be `matter of fact' on the telephone and that they would not call him back to save him money if asked.
Summary
• Some Child Benefit first-time customers (27%) expected to receive a good overall service from the Benefits Agency.
• Others (45%) expected to receive a poor or indifferent service.
• Many (19%) did not know what to expect of the dealings with the Benefits Agency.
• First-time customers would like to receive an efficient, private service which would provide them with clear, coherent and authoritative information and advice.
▪ Helpful and knowledgeable staff who had time to spend with customers
was more important than having friendly or polite staff.
• Although respondents interviewed in the qualitative research did not expect a good service from BA staff, postal survey respondents made little comment upon their expectations of staff.
• When visiting their local offices, first-time customers would like not to have to wait long, to conduct their business in privacy and to be able to understand what the staff say to them. They thought that these three aspects were more important than the cleanliness, tidiness and facilities at the offices.
• First-time customers who write to the Benefits Agency think that an understandable reply to their queries is more important than the speed of the reply.
• First-time customers who telephone the Benefits Agency expect easy access to someone knowledgeable who can deal with their enquiries effectively.
The process of claiming Retirement Pension
General expectations People claiming Retirement Pension for the first time were divided in their opinions
of claiming of the service that they expected to receive before they claimed. Some thought that
the service would be good, others anticipated problems and others were not sure what to expect (see Table 3.5). However, Retirement Pension customers often qualified their optimistic or pessimistic expectations of the Benefits Agency in general with other favourable or unfavourable comments about certain aspects of the service that they thought they would receive in particular.
Table 3.5 What Retirement Pension customers thought dealings with the BA would be like
N %
Straightforward 478
Bureaucratic 231
Helpful staff 99
Unhelpful staff 6
Expected automatic payment 16
No idea 194
Other 8
Base 1,032 100
Forty six per cent of the 1,032 people who commented on their expectations of what the service would be like generally, thought that their claim would be straightforward, efficient and trouble free. A very small minority (two per cent) did not even expect to fill in a claim form and thought that the Benefits Agency would send their Retirement Pension payments automatically. Comments recorded in the qualitative interviews epitomised respondents' feelings overall about the service. One London Retirement Pension customer thought that the whole process would be `easier- than getting a bus pass'; another respondent, from the provincial city, expected his claim to be `a piece of cake'; and another in the inner London area had heard that the Benefits Agency was `businesslike' and thus expected a good, efficient service overall.
Other customers, however, were not so optimistic about their claim for Retirement Pension. Twenty-two per cent of those respondents in the postal survey who commented upon their expectations of service thought that the process of claiming would be a bureaucratic, complicated and long-winded affair. For example, in the postal survey, one respondent said that she expected `delays, snags and hassle' throughout her claim for Retirement Pension. Alternatively, some 19% of
Retirement Pension customers were unsure about how the Benefits Agency would deal with their claim. A typical response was `I did not know what to expect; I had never been in touch with the DSS before'.
When asked to think about the ideal or preferred service to be given to customers of Retirement Pension, most respondents reported that they would like the Benefits Agency to provide an efficient and private service; they asked for clear, comprehensive and readily understandable information and advice about when to claim, where to claim and how to claim and, also, how much they would get and by what method they would be sent their payments.
Particular aspects Expectations of staff: Retirement Pension customers were asked in the postal
of claiming survey and in the qualitative interviews about their expectations of Benefits Agency
staff in general; how they thought they would be received and treated at their local offices and on the telephone; how much help, guidance and information they thought that they would be given, and whether the staff would be polite, friendly and respectful towards them. In the qualitative interviews many respondents